Page 40 of You Had Me at Merlot

“Then who is this other one? Why are you dating so many unkind people?”

“Leighton was a business exec with Carrington’s Department Store when they were trying to take over the block. She was there to scope out Bordeauxnuts for the kill and eventually decided to ask me out without telling me who she was.”

“We hate her, then.” Her mother nodded once decisively.

“Hate is strong. But yes. She’s on the unfavorable list in the imaginary sky.” She hesitated. “But we were fine last night, so maybe she can just go on the list in light ink.”

“Your heart is too generous, Jamie.”

She turned to her mother. “Says the woman who gave her watch to her next-door neighbor because the woman said it was pretty.”

“What are possessions if not for sharing? She looked better with it than I did.”

“See? Self-deprecating all over the park.”

Her mother laughed. “I can’t help it if I wasn’t gifted a lovely wrist.”

“I can’t with you. I just can’t.” Jamie shook her head and laughed along.

“You just be careful around the woman from Carrington’s. If she’s the one I’m thinking of from back then, you had more than a crush.”

“Moot point. I have a girlfriend.”

“The bouncing child?”

“She’s twenty-nine. There’s barely seven years between us. And, yes, she does bounce.”

“But what about up here?” Her mother tapped her temple. It was hard to argue. Mo hadn’t come off as the most scholarly or mature when they’d had dinner two weeks ago with her mother. In fact, she’d spent the first five minutes of their dinner explaining to Jamie’s mom that she’d sworn off Doritos but missed licking the seasoning off her fingers.

“I’m cutting her some slack. She’s young. Plenty of potential there.”

Originally, Jamie had been drawn to Monique’s vivacious energy and excitement about, well, everything. She was this exceptionally cool girl who knew the passwords to all the secret clubs, which, at the time, made Jamie feel cool-adjacent. Now, the realization that they’d have to actuallyusethose passwords and race around the city until three a.m. was starting to set in. She was growing weary of talking about social media trends for hours over dinner at only the in restaurants. Sadly, she was going to have to figure out next steps.

As a Jack Russell and a poodle played chase around the perimeter of the dog park, Jamie placed a finger above her lip. “We might not be as compatible as I once hoped. But sometimes you have to grow into each other, right? Did you and Dad have some sorting out to do in the beginning?”

“Are you kidding? We couldn’t bear to be apart for more than five minutes. Is that what you feel?”

“Um…no.” The extra detail that she refused to formally acknowledge tapped her on the shoulder anyway: Mo and their compatibility issues had been put in startling perspective the second she’d seen Leighton Morrow again. She’d tried not to compare thetwo women but lost the battle. Leighton moved through the world as a thoughtful adult, capable of deep conversation and with an eye on a world much wider than justher. How could Jamie find someone like that without thewilling to screw me overfactor that Leighton came with? It felt like a large ask.

“Jamie, listen to me. I’m old. I know things, and since I lost your dad, I know even more. Grief has to be the most enlightening affliction.”

“I’m listening.”

“Life is fleeting. Don’t waste it on people who don’t make you light up the second you see them in the distance.”

She thought on Monique and was saddled with an uncomfortable sinking feeling, like she was a lead rock on her way to the bottom of the dark ocean. “I think I have to end it.” She took a deep breath. Didn’t help. “This is the first girlfriend I’ve had in a long time.” She shook her head and tried to let the adorable dogs cheer her up. “I was actually proud of myself. No longer sad, single Jamie.”

Her mom dropped a hand onto her thigh and gave it a pat. “Well, I’m still proud of you. You’re assessing what’s right for you and taking action, even though it’s not easy.” She shook her finger. “That’s emotional maturity. I saw it onGood Morning America.” She tossed in a smile to say she was kidding. “What can I do to help? I’ve got the time. Lots of it.”

Jamie laughed. Her mother was pulling fewer hours at the alterations shop and starting to explore life on her own. She wasn’t a retiree yet but had one foot in a new, slower approach to her work schedule. “Oh, just shower me with unending love and affection. Gifts are always welcome.”

“I know this. You opened all of your father’s birthday presents when you were five and ate two bites from his cake before we even had a chance to show it to him.”

“And lived with the shame ever since!” They shared a laugh. “Well, I think it’s decided. You’re getting a dog, and I’m losing a girlfriend. Sigh.”

“Well, this has been a very eventful talk with my daughter. We should watch dogs play more often.”

“Solve all the world’s problem via pug races.”

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